Warrior
by VetaButur
Summary: When the Argent warlords turn his brother into a monster, Stiles is forced to run for his life and find sanctuary in enemy territory. Determine to save his brother, Stile and his ragtag group set out on a journey to find a cure. Inspired by Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" /Slash: slow-build/
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters**

**This story was inspired by Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke." When writing this story, I based the setting of the beginning of the story on the fort-town and landscape seen in "Princess Mononoke"; however, the plot deviates from the movie.**

* * *

"In my beginning is my end..." –T.S. Eliot

* * *

The loud, rapid progression of tolling bells arouses everyone in the village from their beds.

Stiles is instantly on alert, propelling his torso up from his bed.

It's the warning bell. The village is under attack.

Frantically reaching under his bed, Stiles pats his hand along the wood flooring. Anxiety sets in when he cannot find his weapon.

Rolling out of bed, Stiles hits the floor hard. The adrenaline coursing through his blood numbs the pain as he looks under his bed. His weapon is gone. An avalanche of paranoia and fear crash through Stiles's body. Did the enemy get into his house?

"Stiles!"

The sudden and loud call of his brother startles Stiles, causing him to smack his head against the top of his bed.

_God damn that hurt._

He can hear the frustrated sigh from above as his brother pulls him out from under the furniture.

"The Hales are attacking!" His brother yells into his face, thrusting Stiles's weapon into his chest, knocking the air out of his younger brother.

Nodding in affirmation, Stiles jumps to his feet, clutching his weapon close to his chest and running after his brother, who has already exited their small hut.

Everyone in town is on high alert. Men and women are running around, carrying buckets of arsenal like warlord milkmaids. It is a system that everyone in the village has learned to adopt since the Hales declared war on their town.

Far ahead of him, he can see his brother blonde head- already half way to the barricade,- weaving in and out, around the bustling and panicking townspeople. Determine to catch up, Stiles runs toward the ladder along the wall of his next-door neighbor's house, propelling himself up and over the ridge of the roof.

As soon as he is balanced on the tile, Stiles begins to run along metal roofing, pumping his legs and jumping over gaps and alleyways toward the front barricade. With the traffic of panicked citizens in the streets, it is the quickest way to get to the front gates.

As soon as he is close enough, Stiles jumps down, landing on his back in a stack of hay and sliding down, using the momentum to bring himself back to his feet and continue running to where the men are already lined up and passing the weaponry to the fighters situated at the top of the barricade.

He can already see his brother, several feet above him at the top of the front gate with his weapon in hand and loaded.

Taking the stairs, two steps at a time, Stiles runs to his brother, looking out along the tree line with anxiety.

"Jackson, how close are they?"

His brother tilts his head towards him before drawing back his weapon and hurling an explosive out nearly one hundred meters before it hits the slanted mountainside facing their village.

As the explosive ignites, Stiles sees the large shadows of their enemy exposed along the mountainside.

"_Fuck._" Stiles breathes out. "How the hell did they get that close?"

His brother frowns with him, his eyes on fire as the torches around him reflect off his irises.

"I have no idea, but when I find the bastard who was on watch here, I am going to gut him." His brother is practically hissing as he speaks.

"That won't be necessary, the watchman has already been incarcerated."

Stiles startles at the sudden feminine voice and jerks his head back to take in Lady Katherine Argent, who is standing with her hips caulked to the side, a large cylindrical-shaped machine laying heavily on her shoulder.

"Lady Arg-" Stiles and Jackson begin in sync.

"Don't bother." Lady Katherine snorts derisively, stepping forward and knocking both Jackson and Stiles out of the way to make room for her and her machinery. "We all know that I am no lady."

Lining up her weapon along the grooves in the barricade wall, she tilts her head back and winks at them both.

"Now how about this _lady_ shows you how it's done?"

Suddenly, there is a hiss and the lady and the machine jerk at once, first forward and then violently back, knocking her down and sending the heavy weapon off her shoulders. Jackson grabs it before it can fall over the edge.

Stiles is moving forward to help the lady up when he hears to violent explosion behind him and sees the entire village light up in front of him.

Turning around frantically, Stiles feels a chill run down his spine and his mouth drop open.

Before him, an entire mile of the mountainside appears to have spontaneously caught fire. The trees in the center of the destruction have all but vanished while the trees along the peripheral are charred and swaying in the massive flames.

_Dear God._

"Well that should stop their attacks for now."

Starring out into the emblazed mountainside, Stiles hears Lady Katherine slink over to stand between him and his brother, starting when her gloved hand pushed his lower jaw up, knocking his teeth together. He can hear a responding knock of teeth from his brother.

"God damn it Kate!"

Stiles jerks his sight from the burning landscape to see Lord Argent striding towards them, the blaze from the mountain lighting his profile, emphasizing the muscles on his face which are now pulled tight and downward with fury. There is fire in his eyes.

Nervously stepping back, Stiles narrowly avoids Lady Kate's head knocking back against his when Lord Argent slaps her in the face, causing her head to whip back violently.

"_What_ the hell were you thinking? You may have compromised our entire strategy!" The lord screams in anger as he jerks the bulky weapon from her hands with so much force that it sends the off balanced lady to her knees. The responding sound of bone connecting with stone and the lady's pained gasp make Stiles cringe.

"How dare yo-" Lady Kate begins to speak in outrage before her brother interrupts her again.

"How dare I? No, how dare _you_!" The lord rages, pointing his finger at her, his body vibrating with anger. "Now the Hales know about our new weapon! God damn it, Kate! That was our only advantage!"

"No! Our advantage is that weapon!" Lady Kate screams, pointing out to the machine now in Lord Argent's hands. "That machine will be able to blast a hole through any fucking werewolf in a mile radius!"

"Only from the barricade!" The Lord Argent is screaming back, knocking his sister's hand away. "The weapon is too heavy to be carried into the forest. The Hales would have our men killed before they even made it to the river! And now you have compromised any chance we had of taking out a massive chunk of the Hales on their next attack! Now that they know of this, they will send smaller parties and be even more stealth!"

The lord is still shaking when he grabs his sister by the arm and pulls her roughly off the ground and into his heavily armored chest, slamming the breath out of her.

Nodding his head to the two warriors, he drags his screeching sister down the steps of the barricade.

Sharing a look with his brother, Stiles turns his gaze back towards the blazing inferno that is slowly engulfing the mountainside. Stiles feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

What the hell did he just witness?

Even above the roar of the flames, Stiles can hear the pained and strangled wolf cries that fill the night sky.

* * *

**Comments: The weapon that Jackson used was essentially a lacrosse stick with a throwable explosive. The real action will start next chapter, in which more of the plot, characters, and back story will be revealed. **

**Reviews are cherished. Constructive criticism is always welcome.**


	2. Into the Wild

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters. **

**Warning: Mild offensive language. Disturbing imagery.**

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"Thou shalt not return… And now… comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage… No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild." –Jon Krakauer

* * *

The next morning, Stiles is woken at sunrise by the work bell.

Sighing with frustration, he gets out of bed and puts his clothes on in a sleepy stupor. His eyelids hurt and his eyes water whenever he tries to open his eyes; he is too damn tired to be awake, especially since he only returned to his home an hour ago.

Last night was hell. Even after the Hales had retreated, extra men were needed to watch the fire to ensure that it did not get close to the town. The fire had gone out only a few hours before sunrise. Stiles had hoped that he would get to switch out his morning shift, but his superior officer had denied him.

_Fucking Fascist._

Looking longingly at his sleeping brother and wishing that he could be doing the same, he grabs his weapon from off the wall and forces himself out the door and towards the meal hall for breakfast.

He is so out of it that it takes him half his meal to realize that his friend is not sitting with him. Lifting his sleepy eyes from his plate, Stile looks around the room, but cannot find Scott.

Thinking back on it, Stiles realizes that he didn't see his friend last night either. Shit. Stiles prays that Scott wasn't attacked yesterday and unable to do his shift. Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time.

Resigning himself for the worst, Stiles walks over to his superior officer to ask about his friend's whereabouts.

"McCall? The half-breed?" Finstock's voice is loud and grates on Stiles's nerves. "The halfie was incarcerated last night for falling asleep while on watch duty, the lazy bastard."

The news instantly wakes Stiles and makes him worry. Scott may not be the best fighter, but he isn't lazy, and Stiles knows that his friend would never fall asleep while on duty.

_What the hell happened last night?_

Stiles is distracted for the rest of his shift. He is radiating with nerves when the bell ring finally rings, indicating the end of the morning shift.

Shooting out of his post without a second thought, Stiles runs as fast as he can to the sheriff's house.

Impatient, Stiles knocks on the door continuously until Sheriff Durman finally answers, his face tight and his one good eye narrowed in agitation. However, the second he sees Stiles, his scarred face morphs in to concern.

"Eh? Ia-" The sheriff begins to greet, before he is interrupted.

"Stiles. It's Stiles now."

Stiles cringes when he sees the sad look take over the man's face. Even now, the looks of pity and sadness are too much for him.

Sighing, Stiles decides to interrupt him before the sheriff can tell Stiles again about his condolences.

"What happened last night? With Scott I mean. Because I get that a lot happened last night with the Hales attacking. But it's Scott that I am worried about. Where is he?" Stiles fidgets while he talks, running his hands over his weapon in agitation.

The sheriff sighs, rubbing his hand into his eye. "According to da head guard, Scottie fell asleep while on duty. Claims tha' he is da reason da Hales got so close before da warnin' bell was sounded."

The sheriff cringes as he tells the story, like each word is leaving a bad taste in his mouth. His expression relays to Stiles what he already had known, he doesn't believe the story either.

"So, where is he?" Stiles shuffles his feet again, nervous about what Durman will say.

Either his friend is in jail or he has already been punished and is recovering at home alone and injured.

The sheriff sighs again. "Da boy is at da Argent compound. He is scheduled to be whipped tomorrow."

Stiles cringes.

This isn't right. Stiles knows his friend; Scott would not have fucked up like this.

Apparently sheriff Durman understands. He gives Stiles a long look, mumbling 'hold on' before reentering his house, coming out with a ring of keys a moment later.

"Da boy is set for the whippin' tomorrow mornin'. Git him out tonight at da end of da first night shift and make sure tha' no one sees ya." Durman murmurs as he passes the keys over to Stiles, scratching his head. "I'll talk to da Argents in da mornin'. I'll tell dem somethin' so tha' he won't be arrested for breakin' out."

Relief floods through Stiles's body, joy motivating him to embrace the sheriff without warning, knocking the man back with his sudden affection.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Stiles is grinning from ear to ear when he lets go.

Durman is smiling back at him, giving his short hair an affectionate ruffle before he returns his hand to his side and sets his face straight, looking serious.

"Now Ia-_Stiles_, _remember_, ya need not to be seen lettin' him out. Do ya understand?" Durman is using his good eye to squint at him as he speaks.

Stiles nods his head up and down quickly, clutching the keys to his chest.

Durman sighs, pulling Stiles in for a short hug, before grabbing him by the shoulders and looking into his eyes.

"Now, I know tha' ya don't want to hear this, but I need to say it. Your father would be proud of ya for keepin' loyal to your friend. I wish he could see what kind of man ya have become. Both ya parents would be so proud."

Stiles feels the sadness and grief hit him like a blow to the gut. Even after a year, hearing anyone talk about his father hurts. Hearing about his mother crushes him.

Durman seems to understand, because he pats Stiles shoulders one last time before he walks back inside his house.

* * *

While he had been tempted to try to jailbreak Scott early, Stiles manages to wait until it was dark until he heads out to the Argent compound.

Preparing for his law-breaking endeavors, he leaves his house and locks the door behind him.

"Where are you going?"

Stiles cringes when he hears his brother's voice behind him.

"Jackson!" Stiles turns around grinning. "What are you doing back?"

_Don't look guilty, don't look guilty. But damn, you're so guilty._

The look his brother gives him is a mixture between annoyance and frustration.

"My shift just ended."

Jackson's statement is blunt. No inflection. It speaks to Jackson's patience that he did not add 'duh' to the end of it.

Stiles shifts his eyes from his brother, focusing his attention to the tiling of their roof, refusing to incriminate himself.

Jackson sighs. "_Stiles, _where are you going?"

Unable to look his brother in the eye when he lies, Stiles shifts his focus to the handle of the weapon hanging behind Jackson's back. "Scott's. I'm going to Scott's. I haven't seen him all day."

Jackson grits his teeth, his eye brows drawing together as his fist clench. "Scott's been arrested. I know that you already know that."

Stiles shifts in his spot in discomfort, his stomach tightening with guilt.

Stiles begins to fidget, staring down at the ground and scuffing his feet into the grass.

"_Stiles… Please._"

Stiles finally looks up to see Jackson giving him the same look that he had when Stiles had stormed out of their house during an argument. After they had lost their dad.

"Please Stiles. Just tell me. I can't- I cannot lose you. Not you too."

Stiles feels like someone has drop-kicked his stomach. His gut aches with guilt as he tries to lie to his brother's face.

He manages to stumble through a few words before he gives up.

"I'm going to do something stupid."

He looks up to his brother through his lashes. Jackson is standing stiff as a board, glaring at him.

"Durman said that I was being heroic." Stiles attempts to appease his brother.

Jackson sighs, pressing his fingers into his eyelids, massaging them with obvious frustration.

"_Just_- Just go."

Stiles jerks his gaze up to his brother in surprise, but Jackson has already turned away and is heading into their home.

Whispering out a quiet "Love you too," Stiles pivots and runs.

* * *

Stiles sits in a tree outside the northeast end of the Argent compound as he keeps track of the guard patterns.

He has to squint in order to see the guard formation through the low light of the torches.

There is no moon tonight. The lack of natural light may play to his advantage.

It takes him half an hour to find his entrance. It takes ten more minutes before he takes it.

The second the last guard passes the corner, Stiles is in motion, jumping out of the tree and sprinting across the ground to the stone wall.

Spitting into his hand, Stiles takes a step back before running at the wall and running up the wall until he is close enough to get a grip on the second floor window ledge.

Digging his foot into a grove in the stone wall, Stiles slowly climbs up the face of the compound until he reach third floor window that Stiles knows hangs above the prison cells.

Breathing hard, his arms and hands aching from the strain, Stiles rotates his torso in order to squeeze through the iron bars of the window.

Taking a deep breath, Stiles releases his hold on the bars, dropping down into the prison flooring, wincing as the impact sends a bolt of shock up his legs.

Shaking out his appendages, Stiles walks down the short hallway, looking into each jail cell until he finds a huddled figure hiding in the corner.

"_Scott… Scott, is that you?_" He whispers.

The figure under the ratty blankets jerks up, a loud "fuck!" entering the quiet hallway when it encounters the stone shelf over its head.

Stiles chokes on his spit as he tries not to laugh.

There is more quiet cursing as a full head of dark curly hair emerges from under rags.

Stiles is still grinning when his friend turns his gaze to him; his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he takes in his grinning friend on the other side of the bars.

Stiles winces when he sees the split lip and the black eye that is surrounding his friend's face.

"_Dude, what the hell are you doing here_?" Scott whispers as he stumbles over to the bars, gripping them tightly.

Stiles grins as he holds up the keys Durman gave him. Shaking them like a parent would do to a child.

"I've come to break you out, you fucker."

Stiles's grin widens when he sees the smile take over his friend's face.

They both are bouncing like excited ten year olds when Stiles unlocks the cell door and releases his friend, who immediately pulls Stiles into a tight hug, mumbling 'thank you' and 'love you, man' repetitively.

Releasing each other, Stiles thrusts his arm over Scott's shoulder, grinning as he guides him towards the north facing end of the compound, where he knows there is an open window wide enough for both of them to escape through.

They make it half way to their destination when Scott suddenly grabs Stiles by the shoulders, pulling him violently into his side while he slides them to the ground, hiding behind a stone pillar.

"_What the hel- _uhh!"

Stiles winces as a hand is slammed over his mouth.

"_Quiet. Someone is coming._" Scott hisses as he looks over the side of the column.

Stiles's eyebrows draw together as he tries to listen for footsteps or anything to indicate someone approaching their position.

He is tempted to bite Scott's hand when he suddenly hears the click of heals enter the room below.

He can hear the posh voice of Lady Kate Argent as she speaks.

"We wanted to thank you for your hard work and bravery last night. You and your brother were the first on the front lines. That kind of courageousness deserves a reward."

Stiles frowns at her statement.

_Who is she talking to?_

Shaking Scott's hand from his face, Stiles slowly slides up the column and peaks behind the stone, looking down at the floor below to see both the Argent siblings talking to someone who is hidden by the pillar.

Turning to look on the other side of the column, Stiles bits his lip when he sees his brother standing before the warlords, his back held straight and shoulders stiff.

He watches as his brother walks towards the Argents. To anyone he would look like a proper soldier, at position and unaffected by the situation, but Stiles has grown up with Jackson his entire life. He instantly notices the slight shift of the left foot, the constant flex of his fists.

His brother is nervous.

Stiles rotates back to the other side of the pillar as his brother moves out of his sight.

"Of course, we had hoped to honor your brother as well. Where did you say he was again?" Lord Argent rotates his sword as he looks at his brother.

Stiles feels his stomach drop as he turns his gaze back to his brother. The slight tick on the side of his mouth telling Stiles enough to know that his brother is about to lie.

"He went to see Sheriff Durman to speak about family matters." Jackson's voice is stiff as he responds, his hands clenching tighter, causing his hands to turn white.

The Argent don't appear suspicious of Jackson's statement. Quit the opposite, Lady Argent looks positively giddy.

She grins as she sashays towards a bejeweled table in front of a golden altar.

With her back to Stiles, he cannot see what she is doing, but a moment later she turns to face his brother, holding two golden chalices, humming as she carries one to Jackson and her brother before grabbing her own.

She sighs, examining her cup.

"We posted guards outside your home. When your brother returns, they will escort him here." Smirking as she speaks, she turns her gaze to his brother, lifting her chalice into the air as she calls for a toast.

"Let us drink to such a courageous young warrior. Bibo, quod volens et dignus sum."

She practically sings out the last words. Her smile extending to show all her teeth as she raises her glass and downs the drink.

From above he can hear his brother mumble the odd words as he takes a drink from the gold chalice.

He watches Jackson wince as he drinks the wine.

Stiles smirks; he can't wait to make fun of his brother when he gets home.

"Well that was simple. We didn't expect you to say the words so easily, now did we Chris?" Lady Argent's voice echoes through the room as she laughs.

"What-" Jackson's voice is cut off, his body abruptly jerking forward, his hand shaking as he drops the chalice onto the ground. He continuous to shake as he extends his hand out towards the Argents, stumbling on his feet before he falls to the floor convulsing.

Stiles's breathe catches as he surges forward, about to call out for his brother when Scott throws his hand over his mouth, pulling him back down to the ground and into his side and wrapping his arm around Stiles's waist to prevent him from moving.

Stile's shouts from behind Scott's hand when he hears his brother scream out in pain.

Stiles violently twists against Scott's hand, rocking and wiggling in an attempt to escape Scott's hold and save his brother. All he manages to do is manipulate his body enough to turn his head to see around the pillar to the floor below.

He desperately shifts his gaze along the room, gasping when he finally finds his brother curled up on the stone floor, convulsing and gasping in pain.

Stiles screams in horror- muffled by Scott's hand,- as black goo begins to spill from his brother's mouth, eyes, and ears. Through each pain scream, Jackson appears to be choking; retching forward, grasping his chest and gasping for air.

Desperate to help his brother, Stiles attempts to elbow Scott in the face, but Scott surges forward and pins Stiles into the ground, grinding him into the stone as he angrily mutters into Stiles's ear to 'calm the _fuck_ down, we'll be killed.'

But Stiles cannot stop his struggle when he gets a full view of his brother.

Looking down below, Stiles feels his body go numb, his vision filling with black spots. In the short time that he had looked away, Jackson had managed to claw through his shirt and chest; large gashes dominating his chest, pieces of skin hanging and exposing muscle as Jackson continued to let loose gargled screams.

Looking closer, Stiles whines when he sees that his brother's fingers have extended, morphing from blunt fingernails to sharp claws.

Stiles beings to shake when he sees the mutilated skin suddenly morph into scales, which slowly begin to spread.

The transformation of the skin appears to be torture; Jackson withers on the floor, screaming in terror and pain, his back arching off the ground at an unnatural angle.

Everything seems surreal and Stiles's mind goes numb, as his brain is unable to process what he is seeing.

Below him, his brother begins to claw at his lower back, blood coating his hands as he screams and shakes.

Stiles nearly vomits when he sees his brother shred through his skin, clawing through the tendons and sinews, and ripping the muscle from the bone.

And suddenly, the mutated form of his brother surges forward and begins to reach into the mess of mutilated tissue, arching forward as he pulls his spine from his body.

Stiles can no longer breathe. He feels himself hyperventilating, his stomach dropping from his body as his vision blurs. His vision doubles as he watches his brother pull a bloody stump from his back; the appendage covered in blood and membrane like a newborn.

Again Stiles listens as his brother screams in agony. It feels like his entire body has shut down.

And suddenly, the hand over his face is gone and Stiles feels Scott's body go limp on top of his.

Sucking in his breath, Stiles uses the little strength in his body to rotate his torso and push Scott off him. Pulling himself to his knees, he moves over his friend to see Scott passed out on the stone.

_Fuck._

Shaking Scott's shoulders, Stiles tries to wake his friend up, his body stiffening when the prison keys suddenly fall out of his pocket and hit the floor with a loud 'cling.'

"What was that? Who is there?"

Stiles jerks his head forward, seeing Lord Argent looking up towards him and Scott, his sister moving to his side.

"_Fuck, fuck, fuck._" Stiles mumbles as he pats Scott's check, becoming violent when his friend doesn't wake up.

He looks over in fear, shaking when he sees Lady Argent smirking from below.

"Is that the younger Stilinski? How fortuitous!" The lady laughs as she waltzes toward his brother, who is now fully covered in scales, placing her hand against his back and caressing along his spine.

Stiles watches in horror as he brother purrs and rubs against her leg.

"Ah, yes, there we are." The lady coos at the creature at her feet.

Turning her steely gaze to Stiles, she smirks.

"Bring your brother back to me alive. Kill the half-breed."

At her command, the creature surges forward, propelling its body against the opposite stone pillar, moving up the column in a serpentine fashion, swinging its tail back and forth as it keeps its eyes on Stiles.

Screaming, Stiles jumps to his feet, putting his arms under Scott's armpits and dragging him through the hallway.

He stumbles when the weight in his arms suddenly shifts and he hears Scott mumble as he struggles to stand on his own.

"Wha-"

"No time! Run now!" Stiles screams as he continues to pull his friend along, looking backward to see the creature slither against the stone banister opposite to them.

God bless his ability to recover quickly because Scott suddenly surges forward, picking up the pace and pulling Stiles along with him as they run through the hallway, scared for their lives.

Seeing their exit, Stiles jerks Scott with him into a small nook, pushing open a large window door, gasping as he hears the creature shriek behind them.

Yelling at Scott to follow him, Stiles jumps down into the tree a meter from the window ledge.

His stomach collides with a hard branch, knocking the breathe from his lungs, as he desperately clutches the tree branch with his arms, frenziedly scraping his nails into the bark to increase his grip.

Finally getting a grip, Stiles looks around as he tries to find another branch to climb down to.

Dropping down to the branch below him, he screams when his body is violently rammed into the trunk of the tree; the bark cutting through his checks and upper arm.

He screams as claws dig into his arms, brutally digging into his skin as he is rotated onto his back and forced to stare into the slited, gold eyes of the creature above him.

The creature looks like a lizard or snake. Nothing about his brother remains as it hisses into his face, spreading its mouth wide open and showing its teeth.

Stiles holds his breath, ready to die as the creature tilts its head slowly as it looks at him.

And suddenly the pressure on his arms is gone and the creature propels itself back from his body.

Paralyzed in fear, Stiles watches in horror as the creature begins to shake, its clawed hands gripping its skull.

The creature roars and turns its gaze back to Stiles. Stiles's stops breathing when he sees the eyes shift from gold to blue, half the face morphing back into his brother's.

"Stiles, Stiles?"

Stiles feels tears escape and run down his cheeks as he watches his brother reach for him, his face an expression of pain and confusion.

"Jackson…" Stiles reaches out, his hand shaking as he approaches the creature that once was, maybe still is, his brother.

"S-Stiles, you need to run." Jackson's words are stunted, his face contorting and shifting from human skin to scales and back.

"Jackson-" Stiles whimpers as he tries to touch his brother, who violently shakes off his approach.

"No! Stiles listen!" Jackson's words are beginning to slur as his mouth begins to elongate and his teeth begin to grow. "You-You need to get into the forest."

"The forest-"

"Stiles! Please! Now! This thing cannot enter the forest tonight!" Jackson keeps jerking his head and convulsing as the scales begin to engulf his skin.

And suddenly, the clawed hands are against Stiles as they push him off the branch.

Stiles screams as he falls, his back knocking against branches and breaking them as his body gives into gravity as he free falls.

His breath is knocked at of him as he suddenly connects with a firm surface, hearing a responding 'uhh!'

Looking down, he sees Scott wincing up at him, both on the ground.

Without a word, they both surge to their feet, sprinting when they hear the roar from the treetop above.

Yelling at Scott to get to the forest, they sprint out towards the barricade, climbing the steps to the top and grasping hands as they leaped down to the grass below.

The impact from the jump is excruciating, causing them to stumble in pain as they attempt to get to the forest line.

Hearing the roar behind them, Stiles yells in surprise as he is suddenly knocked to the ground again, a clawed hand situated on either side of his face.

Looking up, he cries when he sees the creature above him, hissing and baring its teeth as it smells along the crease of his neck.

Stiles chokes out a scream, tears flowing down his checks and falling into the grass below.

And suddenly the weight is gone and Stiles sees the creature above him struggling again like in the treetop.

Crab-walking backwards, Stiles slowly moves to his feet, stumbling back as he watches his brother struggle and scream in agony.

Suddenly, the creature turns its gaze to him.

"RUNNNNNN!" Jackson roars, and Stiles watches in horror as his brother's eyes slip back into gold and his face morphs fully into the monstrous creature.

Screaming in fear, Stiles runs towards Scott, who grabs his friend's arm and pulls him along as the two run towards the forest line. As they pass the first tree, Stiles falls forward in shock, sure that he had felt hot breathe against the back of his neck.

Jerking his head around, Stiles shudders as he sees the reptilian eyes staring back at him, it body slithering from side to side as it prowls along the forest line.

Stiles shakes as he takes in the thing that no longer holds any celibacy of his brother.

Stiles feels nothing but revulsion and anger as the creature tilts its head, turning its reptilian nose into the air and breathes in before returning its gaze to Stiles.

The creature then pulls it claws to it face to scent something in its hand. Stiles feel his stomach drop when he realizes the creature is holding a shredded piece of his shirt in its claws.

And as the thing sniffs the cloth, it fixes its eyes on Stiles and gave him a smile, its pointed teeth shining in the light of the moon as its serpentine tongue licks the fabric.

Even as Scott jerks him up and pulls him further into the forest, Stiles can't shake the memory of the creature's gaze; its message clear:

_I'm coming for you._

* * *

**Comments: This chapter came out longer than expected, but I wanted Chapter II to end at this point, so it was unavoidable. The next chapter may take a little longer to update because of this. **

**On a happier note, the next chapter will introduce the Hale clan, the background behind the war, and what Jackson has become (though I suppose that most of you already know half of the story). There will also be more on Scott and his family history.**

**If you haven't guessed yet, Stiles name is not Genim in this universe. Any guesses what it is?**

**The Latin that Kate speaks translate loosely into: "I drink because I am willing and worthy" (or it should, it may be a bit off). **

**As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Reviews are cherished. **


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